There are many things that can afflict your skin and cause it to lose its strength and elasticity — not to mention its youthful appearance. Your skin is sensitive. It’s not just people with skin conditions that can suffer skin breakages either. Every day your skin is exposed to pollution, toxins in the air, and bacteria from unclean surfaces, and the sun’s rays, which can be harmful to the uncovered skin. Along with these external threats, your skin naturally loses its ability to protect and heal itself with age along with dietary choices. To defend against this, you’re going to need the best vitamins for skin repair.
Making sure you get enough vitamins can keep your skin looking healthy and youthful. This could translate to a reduction in:
- dark spots
- redness
- wrinkles
- rough patches
- excessive dryness
Essential skin vitamins are available in supplemental form, but they are also found in skin care products. Learn more about these four essential vitamins and how they can help you achieve optimum skin health.
Vitamin A
Many multivitamins contain 100 percent or more of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A. Other good sources of vitamin include carrots, dark leafy green vegetables, sweet potatoes, and eggs.
Retinoids, including retinol, tretinoin, isotretinoin, and similar chemicals, are manufactured forms of vitamin A.
These products come in creams and serums to apply directly to the skin. Many studies support the benefits of retinoids for skin health.
Retinoids increase the rate of cell turnover. This can improve the texture and tone of skin, exfoliate dull and lifeless skin, fight acne, and slow the signs of aging.
Vitamin B-complex
Several B-complex vitamins may improve skin health. The water-soluble vitamins are readily available as supplements, including as supplements that include all 12 B-complex vitamins.
Research into the role of vitamin B-complex supplements is promising, though inconclusive. A 2018 study found that vitamin B could help the body produce healthy new skin cells.
Not all research has found such benefits, though many studies suggest that B-complex vitamins are most effective when people apply them directly to the skin.
Vitamin B-3 or niacinamide, may help some signs of skin aging. Some studies suggest that it may help reduce the appearance of age spots and other forms of skin discoloration. Some women report improvements in their skin and hair when taking prenatal vitamins that contain folic acid.
Folic acid may also improve signs of skin aging, according to one 2011 study. Researchers found that a cream containing folic acid and creatine supported collagen gene expression and collagen fiber density. Collagen tends to decline with age, which cause wrinkles and saggy skin.
Vitamin B-5, or pantothenic acid, may help with both acne and skin aging. A randomized controlled trial from 2014 found that people who took a B-5 dietary supplement for 12 weeks saw significant reductions in acne and skin inflammation.
One 2010 study examined the effects of a skin cream containing vitamins E, B-5, and B-3. The cream improved skin tone and texture within 6 weeks. It also helped with age spots and hyperpigmentation.
Some dietary of B-complex vitamins include meat, eggs, seafood, nuts, and seeds.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E — called alpha-tocopherol — has been a staple in the skincare industry for a long time. It’s a moisturizing antioxidant, which guards the skin barrier and improves skin hydration. It also protects skin-cell membranes from oxidation by free radicals, specifically when the skin is hit by UV rays. In fact, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, the vitamin has UV protective benefits when combined with vitamin C.
Topical vitamin E has also emerged as a popular treatment for a number of skin disorders, due to its antioxidant properties. One of the most popular applications is the treatment of burns, surgical scars, and wounds; studies are mixed about whether it’s actually beneficial, though. Be sure to consult your doctor before using it for these purposes.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C — also called L-ascorbic acid — is an antioxidant that boosts collagen production, decreases pigment formation, and protects against environmental stressors. And if you’re a longtime Allure reader, you know it’s an ingredient we can’t say enough good stuff about.
Like other antioxidants, vitamin C neutralizes free radicals to protect against damage caused to skin cells by things like pollution and UV rays. Damaged skin cells mean accelerated signs of aging — like lines, wrinkles, and discoloration.
But vitamin C is also adept at treating hyperpigmentation. It inhibits the action of the enzyme tyrosinase — the main enzyme responsible for the conversion of tyrosine into melanin — and therefore decreases melanin formation. Topical application of some formulations of vitamin C can even effectively decrease discoloration caused by melasma, one of the hardest pigment issues to treat.
However, topical vitamin C must be handled with care: It can be unstable, meaning it breaks down and is ineffective when exposed to oxygen or sunlight. The best formulas use L-ascorbic acid and are packaged in airtight containers in order to protect the formula from oxidizing. If a vitamin C-based product changes color, it’s usually a sign that the vitamin is breaking down and is less effective. So keep a close eye on your formula of choice.
